The central theme of this book is the strengthening of the legitimacy and integrity of international law in the post-Cold War, interdependent international community. The investigation focuses on the relationship between international decision-making procedures, in particular compulsory third-party dispute settlement, and legitimacy and integrity as perceived by states and international organizations.;The book starts with a description of recent developments with regard to dispute settlement in the law of the sea, GATT/WTO, Antarctica, and global environmental protection. Compulsory third-party dispute settlement has been accepted in treaty regimes in these fields, as it is indispensable in safeguarding the legitimacy and integrity of such regimes. The focus then shifts to an extensive analysis of changes in the international community in general, and their consequences for the international legal system.;By focusing on legitimacy and integrity, and by providing a theoretical framework in which these concepts can be applied, the book offers a contribution to the discussion of the theoretical foundations of international law.

Contents:

Introduction - international law in transition; international dispute settlement in transition; an interdependent world society; coping with analytical complexity - a systems approach; legitimacy; an international community of principle?; principles and procedures; legitimacy and participatory pluriformity; conclusion - third-party dispute settlement in an interdependent world.